Method of and apparatus for handling loose material



Feb. 21, 1939.. R. E, CAMPBELL 2,147,634

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE'MATERIAL Filed Feb. 20, 1937 3 SheetsSheet l ll l rd Feb. 21, 1939. R. E. CAMPBELL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1937 Feb. 21, 1939. R. E. CAMPBELL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL Filed Feb. 20, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 [710622202 flayll bmpZaZZ Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HAN- DLING LOOSE MATERIAL Massachusetts Application February 20, 1937, Serial No. 126,799

7 Claims.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for handling loose material, and more particularly to improved methods of and apparatus, specially adapted for tunnel work such as shaft sinking, for loading and removing the ex cavated material, such as loose rock, dirt and other debris commonly known as muck, from the bottom of a shaft.

In shafts connecting with horizontal or substantially horizontal underground workings such as tunnels, haulages, cross cuts, drifts, drives, etc., in accordance with modern practice, a number of shafts may connect the headings with the ground surface to obtain entrance to the headings and provide passages for the removal of debris from the heading faces. During sinking of the shafts, the excavated material or socalled muck, must be removed as sinking of the shaft progresses, and in accordance with the usual practice, the muck is manually loaded into a receptacle such as a hoisting bucket and hoisted to the ground surfacethe receptacle loading operation being an extremely laborious task necessitating manual lifting of the muck into the receptacle by means of shovels.

An object of the present invention is to pro vide an improved method of and apparatus for handling loose material. Another object is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for loading and removing the excavated material from the bottom of a shaft, whereby the laborious task of manually loading the muck is substantially eliminated. A further object is to provide an improved method of scraping and loading the muck from a shaft bottom by means of a hoist-operated scraper apparatus. A still further object is to provide an improved apparatus for controlling and handling the scraper bucket during the scraping operation. Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for scraping and loading the muck from the bottom of a shaft, the scraper operated by the shaft hoist on the surface, together with improved means for controlling and guiding the scraper. Other uses and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear in the course of the following description and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration one form and a modification which the invention may assume inv practice.

In these drawings,-

- .Fig. l is a somewhat diagrammatic, vertical sectional view through a shaft showing the preferred illustrative form of the improved material handling apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view illustrating the combined scraper and hoisting bucket.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 8.

Figs. 4 to 10, inclusive, are somewhat diagrammatic, fragmentary, vertical sectional views taken through the lower portion of the shaft shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the different steps effected during the operation of the improved material handling apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement whereby the surface hoist is utilized as a scraper positioning means as well as a scraper haulage and hois ing means.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive, the reference character I designates the shaft, 2 the debris or so-called muck on the shaft bottom, 3 the shaft surface hoist, 4 the head structure at the top of the shaft, 5 the combined scraper and hoisting bucket and 6 the auxiliary hoist at the bottom of the shaft. The hoisting cable I of the surface hoist 3 extends from its winding drum around a top sheave 8 supported by the head structure above the shaft, and the drop line of the cable carries a hook or other form of attaching means 9. The cable hook is attachable to a bail ID on the combined scraper and hoisting bucket, which may be of the same general type as that disclosed in a copending application, to one Clifton W. Miller, Ser. No. 126,346, filed Feb. 18, 1937. As shown in Fig. 2, the scraper bucket 5 is of generally rectangular box-like form having closed side walls and a closed end and the bail I1! is swivelly secured thereto at l, the bucket being provided with a recessed bottom [2 to which is pivotally secured an eye-link or ring i3, the latter, as the bucket is lowered in an endwise position on the shaft bottom, folding up within the recess in the bottom of the bucket, so that the bucket rests firmly on its end. One side of the open end of this bucket is formed with a penetrating edge I4, so that the bucket may act as a scraper when it is turned on one side, and this penetrating edge may be either straight or serrated, in a well known manner. Secured as in holes drilled in the walls of the shaft at different radially located points, are wedge clamps or so-called eye-wedges l5, of a conventional form, and pulley blocks l6 and IT provided with hooks are attachable within openings on the wedge clamps at different locations about the shaft wall. The pulley I! may be of the well known quick-rope-release, roller sheave type, whereby a cable may be quickly manually engaged with or released from the roller sheave. Supported on the shaft bottom is the auxiliary hoist 6, which is herein of a relatively small, lowpowered, single drum type, and this hoist is secured in position as by a chain l8 to one of the wedge clamps IS. The cable IQ of the auxiliary hoist has secured to its free end a hook 20 adapted for attachment to the eye-link l3 on the bucket bottom. The auxiliary hoist is located near the shaft wall, at one side of the path of movement of the scraper, and the pulley blocks are secured to the shaft wall at opposite points, in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

The mode of use of the improved handling apparatus is as follows: The empty scraper bucket 5 is lowered within the shaft by the cable 1 of the surface hoist 3, in the manner shown in Fig. 1, and when the scraper bucket is in its lowered position, it rests on its end on the shaft bottom, in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The cable 1 is then slackened and the bucket manually turned on its side from the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 4 to the dotted line position in that figure, with the scraper penetrating edge on the shaft bottom, and the cable is thereafter further slackened and pulled over around the rollersheave of the pulley block IT. The cable of the auxiliary hoist, which hangs continuously around the roller sheave of the pulley block [6, then has its hook 28 attached to the eye-link l3 on the bucket, in the manner shown in Fig. 5. If desired, the cable [9 of the auxiliary hoist 6 may be extended around the roller sheave of the pulley block I1 and its hook caught over the top edge of the bucket and the bucket turned down onto its side by the cable l9, as the latter is wound in by its winding drum. When the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 5, the cable of the auxiliary hoist 6 is wound in, dragging the empty scraper bucket over the shaft bottom from the position shown in Fig. 5 to a position near the opposite wall of the shaft, and upon continued winding in of the auxiliary hoist cable, the scraper bucket is raised into the endwise position shown in Fig. 6 with the penetrating edge of the bucket pointed downwardly toward the muck pile on the shaft bottom. When the scraper bucket is in the position shown in Fig. 6, the cable 1 of the surface hoist is wound in, while the cable of the auxiliary hoist is slackened, thereby moving the scraper bucket downwardly and away from the shaft wall into the position shown in Fig. 7 with its penetrating edge penetrating the muck pile on the shaft bottom. The auxiliary hoist cable may then be detached from the scraper bucket and upon continued winding in of the surface hoist cable I, the scraper bucket is moved laterally across the shaft bottom, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, scraping the muck from the bottom and loading the same within the bucket. The surface hoist cable 1 is then released from the roller sheave of the pulley block l1, and upon continued winding in of the surface hoist cable 1, the loaded scraper bucket is raised into the position shown in Fig. 4, and when the loaded bucket is properly centered within the shaft, it is hoisted from the shaft. When the bucket reaches the top of the shaft at the head structure, the muck is discharged therefrom, in any suitable manner, and the empty bucket is then again lowered, and the positioning, scraping, and loading operations above described are repeated.

As is usual in shaft sinking work of the character described, suitable signalling apparatus may be provided at the shaft bottom, so that the operator in the shaft bottom may signal the operator of the shaft hoist, and the operator of the shaft hoist is provided with suitable depth gauging means, so that the position of the bucket within the shaft, as the bucket is lowered or raised, is known to him.

It will be evident that in the use of the surface hoist to cause digging and elevation of the scraper bucket, it is not essential that the positioning haulage device shall be disposed in the shaft; and in Fig. 11 there is shown a modified arrangement, whereby the surface hoist provides not only means for effecting haulage and hoisting, but also incorporates means for positioning the scraper prior to the scraping operation. In this arrangement, the surface hoist is designated by the reference character 22 and comprises a haulage drum 23 and a tail rope drum 24. These drums have respectively wound thereon haulage and tail rope cables 25 and 26 passing around top sheaves 21 supported by the head structure above the shaft. The haulage cable 25 passes around the roller sheave of the pulley block W and has secured to its free end a hook 28 connectible to the bail ID at the forward end of the scraper bucket 5. The tail rope 26 of the surface hoist passes around the roller sheave of the pulley block it and has secured to its free end a hook 29 oonnectible to the eye-link l3 at the rear end of the scraper bucket. In this arrangement, the scraper bucket is lowered within the shaft by the cable 25 of the surface hoist 22 in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11, and when the scraper bucket is in its lowered position it rests on its end on the shaft bottom in a manner similar to that described above. The haulage cable 25 is then slackened and the empty bucket manually turned on its side with the scraper penetrating edge at the floor level, and the haulage cable 25 thereafter further slackened and pulled over around the roller sheave of the pulley block [1, in the manner shown in full lines in Fig. 11. The tail rope 26, which hangs constantly around the roller sheave of the pulley block l6, then has its hook 29 attached to the eye link IS on the bucket. If desired, the haulage cable 25, after it has been pulled over around the roller sheave of the pulley block l1, may be utilized to tilt the bucket down onto its side. The tail rope 26 of the surface hoist is then wound in, while the haulage cable 25 is paid out, dragging the empty scraper bucket over the shaft bottom to a position near the opposite wall of the shaft, and upon continued winding in of the tail rope cable of the surface hoist, the scraper bucket is raised into the endwise position shown in Fig. 11 with the penetrating edge of the bucket pointed downwardly toward the muck pile on the shaft bottom. When the scraper bucket is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 11, the haulage cable is wound in and the tail rope cable is paid out, thereby moving the scraper bucket downwardly and away from the shaft wall into a position with its penetrating edge penetrating the muck pile on the shaft bottom, and upon continued winding in of the haulage cable of the surface hoist, the scraper bucket is moved laterally across the mine bottom, scraping the muck from the bottom and loading the same into the bucket. The haulage cable of the surface hoist is then released from the roller sheave of the pulley block I1, and the tail rope cable detached from the bucket, and upon continued winding in of the surface hoist haulage cable, the loaded scraper bucket is raised from the shaft bottom, and when the loaded bucket is properly centered within the shaft bottom, it is hoisted from the shaft and unloaded in the manner clearly described above in regard to the preferred form of the invention. If desired, a knock-off block may be secured to the haulage rope cable, so that when the haulage cable is wound in to move the scraper bucket into its loaded position, the knock-off block engages the roller sheave of the pulley block i1 automatically to release the haulage cable of the sur face hoist from the pulley block ll, thereby omitting the manual cable releasing operation and permitting scraping and hoisting of the scraper bucket in one continuous operation.

If desired, suitable guides may be provided for the surface hoist cable or cables, so that the latter will not interfere with the frame structure of the head frame, which usually projects down within the shaft a substantial distance, and is increased in depth as the shaft is deepened. For instance, a guide sheave or guide sheaves may be attached to a cable or cables secured to the shaft wall, or suitable guides may be supported by the frame work of the head frame itself. It will also be evident that instead of the particular forms of surface hoists disclosed, the scraper bucket may be hoisted and lowered by a crane, derrick, dragline machine, or other forms of hoisting mechanisms.

As a result of this invention, it will be noted that an improved material handling apparatus is provided, whereby the muck at the bottom of a shaft may be loaded and removed from the shaft in an improved manner. It will further be noted that by attaching the cable of the surface hoist to the scraper bucket, the surface hoist is not only used as a hoisting means for the bucket, but to operate the scraper to gather and load the muck prior to the hoisting operation, thereby eliminating the necessity of a high powered, relatively large hoist in the relatively restricted space at the shaft bottom. It will further be evident that the improved handling apparatus is of an extremely simple character and may be readily controlled and operated by but few op erators at the shaft bottom, and which may be adapted to shaft sinking without modifying the usual shaft sinking practice. These and other uses and advantages of the improved material handling apparatus will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there are in this application specifically described one form and a modification thereof which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form and modification are shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be further modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of handling loose material comprising the following steps: lowering a scraper bucket in a shaft, turning the scraper bucket onto its side on the shaft bottom, moving by means located at the shaft bottom the scraper bucket into an endwise position at one side of the shaft wall with its penetrating edge facing downwardly, moving the scraper bucket by the cable of the surface hoist over the shaft bottom to gather and load the material, and thereafter raising the loaded scraper bucket from the'shaft by the cable of the surface hoist.

2. A method of handling loose material comprising the following steps: lowering a scraper bucket in a shaft, turning the scraper bucket onto its side into scraping position on the shaft bottom, moving by means of an auxiliary hoist located either at the shaft bottom or at the ground surface the scraper bucket into an endwise position at one side of the shaft wall with the scraping edge of the bucket facing downwardly, moving the scraper bucket by means of the cable of the surface hoist over the shaft bottom to gather and load the material, and thereafter raising the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft by the cable of the surface hoist.

3. A method of handling loose material comprising the following steps: lowering an empty scraper bucket in a shaft by the cable of the surface hoist until the bucket rests on its end on the shaft bottom, turning the scraper bucket onto its side on the shaft bottom, moving the empty scraper bucket rearwardly over the shaft bottom into an endwise tilted position against the shaft wall at one side of the shaft with its penetrating edge facing downwardly, moving the scraper bucket by the cable of the surface hoist downwardly and forwardly to penetrate the material and then forwardly over the shaft bottom to gather and load the material, and thereafter raising the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft by the cable of the surface hoist.

4. A method of handling loose material in a shaft comprising the steps of lowering an empty scraper bucket in the shaft by the cable of a hoist until the bucket rests on end on the shaft bottom, tilting the bucket onto its side on the shaft bottom, moving the bucket while it rests on its bottom side rearwardly over the shaft bottom, moving the bucket into an endwise tilted digging position against the shaft wall at one side of the shaft with the penetrating edge of the bucket facing downwardly on the shaft bottom, moving the scraper bucket when so tilted by the cable of the surface hoist downwardly and forwardly to penetrate the material to be handled and then moving the bucket forwardly over the shaft bottom to gather and load the material, and thereafter raising the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft by the cable of the surface hoist.

5. In a material handling apparatus, in combination, a combined scraper and bucket having a scraping edge and adapted to be lowered by the cable of a surface hoist in a shaft, means located at the shaft bottom for moving the empty scraper bucket rearwardly into a tilted scraping position against the shaft wall at one side of the shaft with the scraping edge thereof facing downwardly in a scraping position, and means for moving the scraper bucket downwardly and forwardly by the cable of the surface hoist to penetrate the material, then forwardly over the muck pile on the shaft bottom by the cable of the surface hoist to gather and load the muck and for thereafter hoisting the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft.

6. In a material handling apparatus, in combination, a surface hoist having a cable, a combined scraper and bucket having a scraping edge and adapted to be lowered in a shaft, means at the bottom of the shaft for moving the empty scraper bucket rearwardly into a tilted scraping position against the shaft wall at one side of the shaft with the scraping edge thereof facing downwardly, and means for moving the scraper bucket by the cable of the surface hoist downwardly and forwardly to penetrate the muck on the shaft bottom, then forwardly over the shaft bottom to gather the muck and for thereafter hoisting the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft.

'7. In a material handling apparatus, a scraper bucket adapted to be lowered in a shaft by the cable of a surface hoist until it rests on end on the shaft bottom, said bucket when it rests on its end on the shaft bottom being tiltable onto its side on the shaft bottom, means at the bottom of the shaft for moving the scraper bucket rearwardly while it rests on its bottom side on the shaft bottom into a position at one side of the shaft and for moving the bucket into a tilted scraping position against the shaft wall at said side of the shaft with the scraping edge of the bucket facing downwardly, and means for moving the scraper bucket by the cable of the surface hoist downwardly and forwardly to penetrate the material on the shaft bottom, then moving the bucket forwardly over the shaft bottom to gather the material and for thereafter hoisting 10 the loaded scraper bucket from the shaft.

ROY E. CAMPBELL. 

